Danny Ainge, Celtics woo prospects for workouts

The big, second-tier names who will be considered by the Celtics for the sixth pick in the June 26 draft may still need some wooing before they arrive in Waltham for workouts.

By Mark Murphy

capecodtimes.com

By Mark Murphy

Posted May. 30, 2014 at 2:34 PM

By Mark Murphy

Posted May. 30, 2014 at 2:34 PM

» Social News

The big, second-tier names who will be considered by the Celtics for the sixth pick in the June 26 draft may still need some wooing before they arrive in Waltham for workouts.

As of today, players like Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart and power forwards Julius Randle (Kentucky) and Noah Vonleh (Indiana) were said to still be a week or two away from visits to the team’s practice facility.

Though forwards Aaron Gordon (Arizona) and Doug McDermott (Creighton), and guards Gary Harris (Michigan State), Nik Stauskas (Michigan) and Zach LaVine (UCLA) are all expected to eventually make appearances, Danny Ainge’s basketball operations staff was still in the process of getting commitments from the players they will consider with the sixth pick.

Agents naturally play a large role at this time of year, with all kinds of stipulations attached to individual workouts. Everything from head-to-head workouts to media access are open to negotiation.

Consider, for example, the power forward trio of Randle, Vonleh and Gordon. In an ideal world, the Celtics would love to bring all three in as a group for some head-to-head competition. But Randle and Vonleh, in particular, could be drafted in direct succession. The last scenario any agent wants is a head-to-head workout that results in the other guy being drafted first.

The Celtics, as a result, are still in a holding pattern with the players who most interest them.

Though they are also interested in Croatian power forward Dario Saric as a candidate for the 17th pick, his team (KK Cibona Zagreb) is still playing. As such, Saric probably won’t work out for any NBA team this spring, though he also intrigues the Celtics for another reason: He has reportedly said he will definitely come to the NBA next season if he is drafted by either the Celtics or Lakers.

But at least the Celtics have made some progress in lining up workouts for players they will consider at No. 17 or lower, should they choose to trade down.

Ainge and his staff will look at small forwards and off guards next Tuesday. The group will include North Carolina State forward T.J. Warren, North Carolina/Texas Legends forward P.J. Hairston, UCLA swing guard Kyle Anderson and UConn small forward DeAndre Daniels.

The Celtics also appear to have the beginnings of a workout scheduled for Monday, with UMass guard Chaz Williams on their list, though it’s unclear whether he will work out against other point guards, or as a facilitator for bigger players.

Perhaps the best defined group is the one the Celtics won’t see. The draft’s top four group of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Dante Exum have made it known they won’t be working out for any team lower than the fourth pick.